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Geoscelionidae Engel & Huang

Geoscelionid wasps of the World

(Life: Kingdom: Metazoa (animals); Phylum: Arthropoda; Class: Hexapoda; Order: Hymenoptera; Superfamily: Platygastroidea)

Geoscelionini Engel & Huang, 2017: 7 (original description; diagnosis; figured).
Type genus. Geoscelio† Engel & Huang.

ClassificationIdentification keys

 

Archaeoscelio† Brues, 1940

 

Cobaloscelio† Johnson & Masner, 2007

 

Geoscelio† Engel & Huang, 2017

Huddlestonium Polaszek & Johnson, 2007 (Ivory Coast, Kenya, São Tomé)

Plaumannion Masner & Johnson, 2007 (Brazil, Venezuela)

Distribution

Afrotropical and Neotropical regions..

Biology

Unknown.

Comments

The classification presented here follows Chen et al. 2021. Finally a comprehensive phylogenetic assessment based on both morphological and molecular data to formulate a revised classification of Platygastroidea has been completed. Murphy et al. (2007) conducted a molecular phylogenetic analysis of the entire Platygastroidea in which the Platygastridae was supported as a monophyletic group nested within Scelionidae. As a result the Scelionidae were retrieved as polyphyletic, but the classification was not revised because of low support for many of the deeper nodes in the cladogram, and inadequate taxon sampling (less than a quarter of the valid genera in the superfamily were included in their analyses). Based on the results of Murphy et al. (2007), Sharkey (2007) formally synonymised Scelionidae with Platygastridae. Subsequently McKellar & Engel (2012) raised the tribes Sparasionini and Nixonini to family level and recognized four families: Nixoniidae, Sparasionidae, Scelionidae and Platygastridae, but in Ortega-Blanca et al. (2014) they treated placement of these two tribes within the Platygastroidea as incertae sedis recognizing only two families: Scelionidae and Platygastridae. These higher classification changes made by Sharkey (2007) and McKellar & Engel (2012) were largely not accepted (Talamas & Buffington, 2015; Popovici et al. 2017). With a revised classification having recently been published supported by robust phylogenetic data (Chen et al. 2021) this latest classification schema is now followed.

References

Chen H-Y, Lahey Z, Talamas EJ, Valerio AA,  Popovici OA, Musetti L, Klompen H, Polaszek A, Masner L, Austin AD, Johnson NF. 2021. An integrated phylogenetic reassessment of the parasitoid superfamily Platygastroidea (Hymenoptera: Proctotrupomorpha) results in a revised familial classification. Systematic Entomology 46(4): 1088-1113.

https://doi.org/10.1111/syen.12511

Engel, M.S. & Krombein, K.V. 2012. Hymenoptera. In: McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. McGraw-Hill Professional, New York.

Johnson, N. F. 1992. Catalog of world Proctotrupoidea excluding Platygastridae. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 51: 1-825.

Masner L, Johnson NF, Polaszek A 2007. Redescription of Archaeoscelio Brues and description of three new genera of Scelionidae (Hymenoptera): a challenge to the definition of the family. American Museum Novitates 3550: 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1206/0003-0082(2007)3550[1:ROABAD]2.0.CO;2

McKellar, R.C. & Engel, M.S. 2012. Hymenoptera in Canadian Cretaceous amber (Insecta). Cretaceous Research 35: 258-279.

Ortega-Blanco, J., McKellar, R.C. & Engel, M.S. 2014. Diverse scelionid wasps in Early Cretaceous amber from Spain (Hymenoptera: Platygastroidea). Bulletin of Geosciences 89: 553–571.

Credits

Photographs © Norman Johnson (OSUC).


Web author Simon van Noort (Iziko South African Museum)

 

Citation: van Noort, S. 2024. WaspWeb: Hymenoptera of the World. URL: www.waspweb.org (accessed on <day/month/year>).

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